CoQ Golgotha Early Guide

Caves of Qud
Golgotha <=12/18 Guide for True Man

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Motivation

When you complete the quest "More than a Willing Spirit" (Main Quest, get robot from bottom of Golgotha) you get rewards depending on your level as follows

Hologram Bracelet if Level <= 12 (you will also receive the Carbine below)
Scoped Masterwork Carbine if Level <= 18
3 grenades if Level > 18

Scoped Masterwork Carbine is the real prize here. It has boosted accuracy, three-shot burst, and very respectable PV and damage, and is basically an endgame quality firearm. Hologram Bracelets are more of a curiosity *but* it is a powerful distraction tool since enemies will prioritize it and it consumes very little energy.

The guide is for True Men, since at the start at least they feel more difficult than what Mutants can accomplish. With Mutants, mutations like Multiple Legs or Wings on its own is damn near sufficient to trivialize the most difficult part of the challenge. At the end I will include a discussion about especially useful Mutations as it pertains to specifically <=12 Golgotha.

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Character Creation/Leveling Considerations

Stats: As much Toughness as possible. You won't be fighting, you need to get in and get out. I would consider 20 Toughness *minimum*, preferably 22 Toughness (if you are below 18 toughness you will have an extremely hard time). For reference, at level 11 the difference is 66/78/90 HP at 18/20/22 Toughness, and at level 17 the difference is 98/114/132 HP at 18/20/22 Toughness. There is not a reliable area in Golgotha to rest and heal, it is very likely there will be literally none, so having high maximum health is extremely impactful. Other stats as suitable for your build, but benchmarks for Spry(17AGI), Jump(17STR), and Juke(21AGI) are worth seriously considering. Note that you receive a boost to *all* stats by 1 at levels 6, 12, 18, etc.

Background: Praetorian is by far the best because of the starting gear (Chainmail+Praetorian Cloak+Desert Rifle+Steel Shield), which is a significant factor. Very significant for level 12 specifically where you are very limited on what gear you can find.

Implant: I personally like the +6 Agility for ranged weapons, but Night Vision, Movement Speed, and +2 DV are more directly helpful for the actual Golgotha Raid (with level 12, you will likely not have a great source of light so Night Vision could be helpful).

Skills:
Shield is useful defensively, Praetorian starts with it but Deft Blocking (19AGI) is a reasonable pickup.
Warfaring: Salt Dunes is very helpful if you plan on making a trip(s) to Six Day Stilt (19INT recommended if you have stats).
Spry: gives valuable defense
Jump: gives you mobility, most significant to avoid getting surrounded and avoiding toxic puddles
Juke: is invaluable in avoiding getting surrounded
Cooking and Gathering(/Spicer): is useful, as your buffs can range from helpful (regeneration, move speed) to game changing (Mental Mutation powers etc.).
Carbide Chef: can be leveraged with a trip to a food merchant at Six Day Stilt in order to guarantee a strong effect to carry you, surprisingly low SP and stat requirements for how impactful it can be.
Longstrider/Conatus: are useful since Sprint is an important escape option, if you happen to meet the stat requirements.
Weathered gives temperature resistance, which is useful if you plan to visit Asphalt Mines, and it is a good longterm pickup for Bethesda Susa (significantly after Golgotha).

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Early Progression guide
==Joppa==

* Loot unguarded chests
* Argyves quests
* Water Ritual with Warden+Elder+Mehemet
* Go north and interact with the statue to discover a Historical Site
* (Optional) Speak to the Zealot. Gives quest that awards 1500 XP from visiting Six Day Silt (boosts to level 6 from level 1/2).
* (Optional) Search the Waterlogged Tunnel for 1₵
* (Superduper Optional) Scour the Wetlands to find Argyves apprentice

If you are concerned about surviving early on (i.e. <=18 Toughness and not Praetorian), just do the Zealot's quest for an early level boost. However, there is merit to visiting it after Completing Argyve's questline since you can bring loot to sell to afford bullets, ingredients, and possibly a salve injector or two. It is also better (in my experience) to give Argyve artifacts from the chests rather than your starting items, since the chest items are virtually always merely grenades or junk.

Finding the apprentice is extremely tedious/annoying (he spawns in a *single* random hex within the entire watermarsh area), but at the same time it rewards you with a flying mechanism that literally allows you to glide down to the bottom of Golgotha, skipping most of it.

(<=12): For level 12 challenges, there is merit to *not* receiving the quest to allow yourself more of a leeway to explore etc. in terms of gaining experience.

NOTE: Remember that you receive a Joppa Recoiler! Remember to try to use it if you ever find yourself in trouble! (Sprinting may give you enough distance to use it if you can break line of sight)

==Six Day Stilt==

* Shopping list: Bullets, Salve Injector, Ingredients w/ Cooking, Witchwood Bark
* (Optional w/ Cooking) Talk to the Hindren for Yondercane
* (Optional/non-Praetorian) Hunt around the desert to kill a Nomad for a Desert Rifle

Even if you are not taking Cooking, purchase either Honey or Yuckwheat (they don't stack). 1 Dram/Serving is enough, but having a few extra is useful since eating it gives you +3 to your next disease-progression roll. Not that this effect has no time limit, you should consume the Honey/Yuckwheat immediately, since it will provide you protection when you finally visit Golgotha.

Salve Injectors are just very, very nice to have, and Bullets are extremely cheap and can be purchased from random Mechanists around the campfires so stock up. Purchase any Witchwood Bark you find, it is a source of healing (confuses for a few turns, however) and is very cheap, it is okay if you don't find any.

If you talk to the Hindren near the entrance and accept his quest, you will get a yondercane. this is a consumable that grants a low level teleport, good for an emergency escape when whipped up in a meal.

==Interlude==

* (Optional) Visit the Historical Site discovered in Joppa, as it will be low level and could have good loot
* (Optional) Explore the Forest to harvest some Witchwood
* (Optional) Clear out the rusted archway for Becoming Nooks+2₵
* (Optional) Visit the Asphalt Mines northeast of the Stilt for goodies.

So after finishing with Joppa and taking a trip to Six Day Stilt, you can kind of go do whatever until you feel you are strong enough. However, you cannot grind/explore forever, as you do need to turn in the quest at or below the threshold to receive the rewards. You will probably gain a level clearing your way through Grit Gate itself, so make sure to start doing the quest at level 10/16 at the latest.

The Rusted Archway is guaranteed to generate 2 Becoming Nooks, a few Implants, and 2₵. You could find something nice, and it is worth exploring. The Asphalt Mines contain a few goodies five strata down, including a laser pistol, a data disk, a solar cell, and a float glowsphere. Bring fire resistance if you do.

==Grit Gate==

* Make contact with the Bears to continue the quest.
* Purchase any extra bullets you may need.

Just be careful, as the monsters leading to the entrance are a bit higher level and fairly numerous. Notably, Novices of the Sightless Way can spawn here so be prepared. As a light benchmark, I have found being level 10, 16 AGI with the +6AGI-for-Ranged Implant and Desert Rifle is sufficient to clear these areas pretty safely (remember to play safe and not get overwhelmed).

After reaching the bottom, you can purchase bullets in very large quantities should you be running low.

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==Golgotha==

Just Run for it LMAO. What makes this most difficult is essentially that you won't have a good opportunity to just wait and rest, which is why salves are so valuable. Just keep moving forward, and be aware that standing in the toxic sludge gives you a small chance to be infected with a very nasty disease.

In addition to the Waydroid for the quest, there is a chest in the bottom with cybernetic chips. It is obviously very valuable, *but* don't kill yourself looking for it. If you found the droid and are running from Slog just recoil out of there, you can always come back later.

==Gotrot==

The cure is randomized every new save but it is always described in the 'Corpus Choliys' book, sold reliably by Mayor Nuntu in Kyakukya.

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==Mutation discussion==

* Wings: Most significantly these allow you to (mostly) safely float to the bottom, which bypasses the most dangerous part and leaves Slog as the only real threat to deal with. Secondarily, it allows you to be a bit more adventurous early on and visit distant locations more safely.
* Phasing/Multiple Legs: Just generally extremely useful. Moving fast and breaking line of sight is very helpful	.
* Carapace: When invested into, it allows you to negate a significant amount of incoming melee damage.
* Force Wall/Field: Defense is the name of the game here, and they can help a great deal if you find yourself surrounded.
* Regeneration: You may not have a good opportunity to rest in peace, so this helps keep your health in good shape without consumables